The invention relates to a process for detecting the presence of inclusions in, for example, precious stones and to an apparatus for the performance of the process.
The purity of the stones, that is, their freedom from inclusions, is usually ascertained by a technician with the naked eye, and in most cases with the use of a magnifying glass. It is obvious that the results of such an examination may vary, even if the rules for assessing the quality of a stone are scrupulously observed as the size of the inclusions often cannot be determined with the naked eye, even under a magnifying glass.
The object of the invention is to provide a process of the above kind, and an apparatus for its performance, enabling inclusions present in a precious stone to be detected objectively and independently of human impressions and preferably their size to be determined, preferably so that both the position and the size of the inclusions thus detected can be ascertained with the desired degree of accuracy. In this connection it should be borne in mind that the position of an inclusions in a precious stone may be likewise very important, as the value of the precious stone may be seriously reduced or else unaffected, according to the position of the inclusions and the extent to which it is apparent to the naked eye or noticeable in the over-all impression received of the precious stone.